This is part of our on-going series “Underrated/Overrated”. Today we will feature in-park quick service locations which we think get more love than they should.
In a previous installment of this series, we told you which quick service dining establishments we thought were hidden gems. This article will go in the opposite direction. We will talk about popular in-park quick service dining locations that just don’t quite do it for us. Now I realize that many of the places on this list might be among your family’s favorites. That’s okay. We aren’t here to judge. Variety is the spice of life, so if you enjoy one of these locations, then more power to you! And if you feel strongly that our list is “wrong”, feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Magic Kingdom: Casey’s Corner
I freely admit that our opinion is biased by the fact that we aren’t hot dog people. Even so, these hot dogs are just okay, and they certainly aren’t worth $10 plus. Now if they expanded the menu and included some interesting region varieties of hot dogs and toppings, that might be enough to sway us to give it another try. Otherwise, it isn’t worth it just for what you get.
The other complaint that we have is the seating (or lack thereof). The seating area in Casey’s itself is always crowded, loud, and it is nearly impossible to find a table. And when you are eating a messy chili cheese dog, you really don’t want to be standing or walking around (at least if you are a cultured individual like myself :-)).
On a positive note, we absolutely LOVE the pianist! If they are playing a tune, we always stop to listen, tap our toes, and sing along. However, one can do that without hot dog in hand.
Epcot: Lotus Blossom Cafe
Honestly, it was really tough to pick an overrated quick service location at Epcot, since most are consistently good and live up to their reputation. Even the Lotus Blossom Cafe is decent. You generally can’t go wrong with American-style Chinese food… which really is our main complaint. The food itself is good for what it is, but it basically is the same quality of food that you can get at any take-out Chinese place in any city in America… at half the price! Unlike other quick service locations, it really isn’t anything to write home about.
I suppose if you are in the mood for the comforting embrace of Chicken Fried Rice or Egg Rolls, this is a good choice. However, given the amazing selection of quick service places at Epcot, you can do so much better than the Lotus Blossom Cafe.
Animal Kingdom: Pizzafari
We totally get why this place is so popular. You have tired and hungry kids who just want to eat pizza, and you don’t want to fight the “let’s try something else for a change” battle with them. Now we know that all theme parks (Disney and non-Disney) have their own versions of Pizzafari (places with safe kid foods of okay quality with high prices), but that doesn’t make it any less overrated.
The pizza at Pizzafari is certainly nothing special… reheated frozen pizza quality. They do have some other menu items (salads, chicken parm sandwich), but they are also just passable. I suppose Disney put them on the menu to try and satisfy the culinary needs of the tired parents who want something more “adult” than pizza, but they certainly didn’t seem to try very hard. I guess Disney figured that they have a captive audience so why try any harder than you have to!
In fairness, Pizzafari has gone out of their way to have many allergy friendly options on the menu (gluten-free, milk-free, egg-free, etc). They also serve alcohol for those aforementioned tired parents, so there’s that!
In all seriousness, we would suggest giving Flame Tree Barbecue a try as an alternative. There are a number of good kid-friendly options here, with much better quality food options for adults.
Hollywood Studios: Woody’s Lunch Box
We really wanted to like this place. We really did. However, we found that it didn’t live up to the hype. The signature dishes are the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Unfortunately, neither of those impressed us very much. The sandwich was good but not standout, but it was the tomato soup that was the real loser. It felt more like marinara sauce than tomato soup. I suppose that might be okay if you are using the soup as a dunking vessel for your sandwich. However, it does not work as a standalone soup at all. Very disappointing. The side of “potato barrels” that you get with your sandwich is also nothing great. They are just your standard tater tots, reheated in a microwave.
We do have to say that the “lunch box tarts” (think elevated Pop Tarts) are excellent! They were very sweet… a little too rich for my tastes, so I was good after only a few bites. However, they are very shareable, so don’t let that dissuade you.
The other complaint that we had about Woody’s Lunch Box is the seating, or lack thereof. When it is busy, you see tired mothers and/or fathers standing around holding their trays with hungry kids in tow waiting for a table to free up so that they can snag it before someone else does. We even saw near fistfights over tables! Not to mention that the tables are outside in the heat. This could have been a great spot if they had incorporated some indoor seating, complete with Toy Story theming. That may have been enough to remove it from Overrated status for us.
Disney Springs: Chicken Guy
We know that this article is supposed to be about overrated in-park quick service dining options. However, we just couldn’t resist talking about Chicken Guy!
We love Guy Fieri. We love what he has done to bring attention to many under the radar (dare we say “underrated”) local restaurants and chefs. However, his Chicken Guy restaurant is a definite miss for us.
When your restaurant has a speciality, you not only need to get it right, you need to hit it out of the park. However, Chicken Guy’s chicken tenders are not very good. We found them to be completely overcooked and dry. That left them with a rubbery texture which is definitely not what you want in your chicken tender.
The only saving grace was the dipping sauces. With every order, you can choose from two of his 22 signature sauces to pair with your meal. You can even order additional selections for an extra cost, of course. All of the ones that we tried were excellent. My favorite was the Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ which was so good that if they sold them by the bottle, I’d definitely order a few bottles! However, the sauces weren’t enough to save the tough tenders. If Guy put as much care into his tenders as he did his sauces, this place would be a home run. Unfortunately, it’s a swing and a miss for us.
So there you have it… our selections for most overrated quick service dining options in the park. Please let us know if you agree or disagree in the comments. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!
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